MAN JAILED FOR SNAPCHAT SEXTORTION AND BLACKMAIL
Christopher Morrow, a 27-year-old man from Belvoir Drive in south Belfast, has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to blackmail 16 women into sending him sexual videos and images.The court detailed that Morrow made unwarranted demands with threats for sexual content from each victim.
He met all these women on Tinder, then used Snapchat to chat with them, initially sharing consensual intimate images.
Having gathered personal details over extended conversations, he then threatened to share these images with their friends, family, or work colleagues unless further explicit videos and images were sent.
In court, the judge described Morrow's actions as seeking 'to inflict maximum distress on the victims.' One victim, under the pseudonym Freya, explained how he exploited her feelings of shame and fear, stating, 'He had so much control, every time I heard the Snapchat notification I threw up, it was a horrible time.' She also recounted how Morrow threatened to tell her family she was selling nude videos and images, stating: 'He threatened: 'You have five minutes before I send messages to your family.' And when I didn’t reply he sent an alarm clock emoji and told me: 'Time’s running out.'' Morrow's offending was characterised by the court as 'beyond mere sexual gratification,' with the investigation having begun in 2023 following reports from women met via Tinder.
The narrative includes graphic details of the demands for 'customised sexual videos' and the tactics Morrow used, such as the threat of sharing images to garner more explicit content.
The court also learned that the profile Morrow used was a catfish image of a man based in Cambridge.
Earlier, Morrow had also admitted to possessing an extreme pornographic image.
The judge emphasised that Morrow had shown 'no consideration for the consequences' and had prioritised his own needs over others' wellbeing, indicating remorse but also a lack of regard for the victims' suffering.
